1x01: Destined
by Raechellaa19
Summary: A tragedy brings then next generation together. Or it just might tear them apart.
1. Knocking on Heaven's door

Josh Jenkins's funeral was first, at Billie's insistence. Billie sat with her other three children thinking about how unfair it was. No parent should outlive the child. It wasn't fair that it was Josh who had to die. He was kind and he looked for a way to help everyone he could.

Gracie Jenkins sat there in that pew thinking about the whole month leading up to the week that seemed like a continuous funeral. It was her fault and never anyone said could convince her otherwise. Isabelle Jenkins felt everyone's eyes on her even if she was just paranoid. She held on to her husband's hand like it would help calm down. She could hear everyone stare and whisper about the poor sister who was wheelchair bound because of the same accident that took her brother. Gage Jenkins struggled to make it through his brother's funeral when he knew it would the only one he could bring himself to attend. No one knew that as soon as he set foot outside that church he was on a mission.

It wasn't fair. Billie heard the first gunshot. She looked at the scar going down the side of her oldest daughter's face.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Another gunshot. Billie noticed the bags under her son's eyes. The only son she had left.

They should've been more prepared. The last set of gunshots rang out among the crowd. She couldn't help, but to glance at her youngest daughter, her baby, who was now confined to a wheelchair. An injury that even the Elders hadn't been able to fix.

Billie didn't want to blame the elders, but a part of her did. The Elders found a way to make her life Hell over and over again. First, Christy died, and she barely mange to move on from that loss when the Elders sent J.D. back into her life. She thought it was some peace offering for a happy ending, like they gave Phoebe. She was wrong, the Elders didn't give a damn about her.

Now her son was dead. Her friends were dead. Her goddaughter was dead.

Billie stood at that podium like a grieving mother whose son's death was a tragic accident. What was she supposed to say? That demons were responsible. Everyone would think she was going crazy with grief. So, she gave some speech about how much her son loved life and about how she trusts that God had a different plan for her son. She didn't believe any of the words that came out of her own mouth.

It wasn't until she was about to step down that she noticed a familiar face lurking in the back of the church. Even though it wasn't physically possible he seemed older. Billie could see it in his eyes. He was more serious. Billie felt herself whisper J.D.'s name under her breath. Just like that and he was gone again. Billie tried not clench her jaw as she took her seat. She didn't want her kids to see her upset or explain why she was upset.

She would bury her son in peace. Tomorrow she would sit through another funeral. At the end of the week she would cry herself to sleep in her son's old room. After that she would move on because she had three kids to think about. Even though they were grown, they would look to her to give them strength. Billie was going to be strong, she had to be.

* * *

Phoebe Halliwell's funeral was next. Her oldest daughter, Elizabeth, made the decision to fill the church with fill the church with people, from Phoebe's co-workers she barely knew to all the people she saved as a Charmed one. Liz thought maybe in a room full of people she wouldn't feel so alone. Between the funeral arrangements and making sure her father showed up sober, she didn't allow herself much time to grieve.

While Phoebe's middle daughter noticed the weight of the funeral on her older sister's shoulders and making sure her father was sober, Taylor knew the least she could do was stand up in front of all those people and tell them how great her mother was. That's exactly what she did, until she couldn't say anymore. No one would see Taylor break. She made a promise a long time ago that no one would see her weakness.

Carly Valentine's eyes didn't move as soon as they focused on a point in the front of the church. As Phoebe's youngest daughter she was the most emotional. Everyone could always tell what she thinking. She was angry and bitter. Emotions that were unusual for the baby of the family. She was the happy go lucky cousin who never had a care in the world. Her family made sure she never had to grow up sooner than she did. She grew up thinking that Good always won and they sure as Hell didn't win.

Her aunt and cousin were dead. He friend was dead. Her mother was dead and her dad was barely sober enough for her funeral. They were the damn Charmed Ones. The ones who always won against evil. They were supposed to live long lives filled with many grandchildren. Now they will never get the chance.

* * *

Henry Mitchell and Paige Matthews sat on the front row of the church pews with a child on each side. Paige put off her daughter's funeral because she didn't want to face the grief of losing a child. She had already lost both of her sisters and her godson. After the funeral reality would set in that her feisty, free-spirited, daughter had died and all the power in the world couldn't bring her back.

As much as Paige could get up there and talk about her daughter's life she knew her other daughter was the one person who knew Sam more than anyone, even her parents. Paige sat back and her son led her daughter up the steps to the podium. Paige felt the anger in her all over again. It wasn't enough to lose Emily's twin, they also cause her to lose her eyesight.

Emily Mitchell took a deep breath as she felt her brother's presence beside her. She said all the things everyone wanted to hear. Samantha Mitchell was full of life. She was an adrenaline junkie. She lived life without regrets. All those things were true, but that didn't nearly capture who her sister was.

Her sister was also childish and impulsive. She usually made a situation worse before she made it better. But her parents didn't need to hear those things. After all, it was Emily, the logical one, who impulsive decision making played a part in the deaths at Charmed.

Junior stayed strong for his parents and his sister. To the community his was a pillar of strength. He had lost his best friend (and his partner) and his sister in one night. He could barely look Billie in the eyes when she squeezed his hand for comfort at Josh's funeral. Each gunshot was like a punch in the gut. Junior couldn't even bring himself to help his sister with Sam's eulogy.

Junior decided to deal with grieve the only way he knew how. He had cast a spell to block his grief until after a week. When the community would move on and he would be alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Piper Halliwell was the last one to be buried. Leo, Wyatt, and Melinda sat there pretending that Piper's death was nothing more than a tragic accident. The same way everyone else in their family did in the days leading up to the final funeral. As far as anyone knew it was a gas leak in the basement of Charmed that caused the explosion. No one even questioned it.

Leo stayed strong for his kids. He knew it was what his wife would had wanted and Piper Halliwell always got her way. Wyatt, his strong level headed son, wrung his hands as he got ready to go to the front of the church to speak. Wyatt didn't like giving speeches in front of people, but he would do it because Leo couldn't bring himself to.

Then there was Chris, his loyal son, who would save the world if he could. He didn't feel angry at his son for not being there, Leo knew Chris would be beating himself as it was for missing Piper's funeral. All that mattered was that Chris would be home soon because his family needed him. If the past week taught him anything it was that they needed each other now more than ever.

As he looked at his youngest and only daughter he saw a much younger version of his wife. Melinda Halliwell was compassionate and understanding. She also grieved the way her mother did. Melinda held her emotions in until she exploded. Leo knew because she was also an empath he would have to help her keep her emotions in check in the next couple days, even weeks, as she went through the grieving process.

Mel tried not to notice as her father held on to her hand too tight as Wyatt stood up to do his eulogy. She couldn't help it as she focused on the two empty seats of the two people she needed more than anything on that day. She understood Chris not being there, he couldn't exactly tell the Army's plane to hurry. Chris said himself to go ahead with their mom's funeral arrangements, so they moved forward.

What Melinda Halliwell couldn't understand was the missing seat that her best friend should be in. She knew he was grieving, but so was she. They all were. Just because he was hell bent on some suicide mission didn't mean she had to stand by and watch. Some had murdered her family and she would be damned if kill the demon who did it.

It was a week of Hell. That's the best way Grace Jenkins could explain it. The week seemed to be one continuous funeral.


	2. Chapter 2

After the funeral of Piper Halliwell the Halliwell manor became a memorial for the 4 lives that were lost in the explosion at Charmed. Everyone from the mortal to the magical community showed up at some points to pay their respects.

Chris Halliwell couldn't stop the shaking of his hands or the bouncing of his leg as his brother's car approached Halliwell Manor. Chris was still in his uniform and Wyatt was still wearing his suit from the funeral. Chris told them to continue with the funerals without him. The truth was that Chris Halliwell didn't want to sit in a wooden pew while everyone talked about how great his mother was. He didn't need anyone to tell him how great his mother was.

Chris couldn't help, but to think of the timing as ironic. In a month he would retire from the Army for good. He finally decided that 8 years and 3 tours was enough. He wanted to marry the girl back home and have a family. His family had no idea, it was going to be a surprise for his entire family. He was getting the final details of his leave when he got the news.

Many thoughts were running through Chris's head as they pulled up to the manor. He thought about how unfair it was to Mel. She deserved to have their mom there on her wedding day and to give advice when Mel had kids. Then there was Wyatt, who his mom was the only one to get Wyatt's protectiveness in check. Chris was so concerned for his siblings he didn't have time to think about what Piper death meant to him. He wouldn't make time until he was sure he could handle it.

Wyatt nodded as his noticed Chris wasn't making a move to get out of the car. Wyatt Halliwell got out of the car and walked towards the manor. Wyatt knew his brother would need a minute before he would become the pillar of strength he always seemed to be.

Would anyone be happy to see him? Through the years, at one point or another, his family had made it clear that they thought he abandoned them and his damn 'Destiny'. Not once did he try to prove them wrong. The truth was that he did and he never once regretted it. Would they blame him? He sure did. If he was there maybe he could've healed someone. Maybe he could've saved someone.

Chris braced himself as he took slow steps to the front door of the manor. He stood tall and breathed through the dull ache in his chest. He stood hesitating in the doorway of a house he lived in what seemed like a hundred years ago. He had never been so nervous to come inside the Manor. Everything happened in slow motion after that. Chris found himself walking through the house as felt the eyes on him and hushed whispers.

He kept walking until he saw most of his family all gathered together in the sun room. He noticed his sister, Emily, and Taylor missing. He didn't even have time to think as Carly launched herself at Chris. He felt his muscles relax as he hugged her back. Carly was the only one who trusted in the decisions that he made.

"I missed you, Chrissy." Carly was also the only one Chris let get away with calling him Chrissy.

"I missed you too, squirt." Chris held on for one more brief moment before he let her go. He forgot how good Carly was at putting someone at ease.

"Welcome back." Liz said reaching out for a hug. All of Phoebe's daughter had her compassion and good heart. He knew they understood every time he left, even if they didn't like or agree with it. One by one all of his cousins gave him a hug or a pat on the back. After a moment of silence he looked to Junior.

"Where is she?" Junior didn't have to ask who he was talking about. His cousin looked at him sympathetically before nodding to the direction of the garden. Chris walked through the open doors to the garden and he was shocked when he found Isabelle Jenkins. She looked perfect, with the sun framing her hair like a halo, like she often did. That wasn't what surprised him though, Belle was sitting in a wheelchair, looking at nothing in particular.

"Belle?" Chris said to let her know he was there.

"Chris," The woman gave a shaky smile. Chris knew her well enough to know that she was moments away from losing it. "I would give you a hug, but…." Belle laughed at her poor attempt at humor.

"Wyatt didn't tell me." Chris said lamely to cover the awkward tension. It was the first time he ever remember having awkwardness with Belle.

"I asked him not to." Belle said while avoiding eye contact.

"Why?" Chris wanted to know why she was keeping this secret from him. They never had any secrets.

"Because of this reason, Chris. You would put the world on your shoulders if you could. I didn't want you to. What happened was an accident and I am dealing with it." Bell said, even though Chris could tell she didn't believe the words she was saying. She wasn't okay.

"I'm sorry," Chris managed to choke out. It wasn't fair. He should've been there. "I needed to be here."

"You were needed….out there." Belle looked at Chris's guilt ridden face. "Fine, if you need forgiveness, I'll give that to you. You're forgiven."

"If only it were that simple." Chris said. He had a lot to repent for to earn the kind of forgiveness he wanted.

"Nothing with you ever is…" Belle whispered. Chris knew she was thinking back to a time when things between them were simple and easy. They were carefree kids. That sat in silence before they were interrupted by a furious voice.

"What the Hell are you doing here?" Chris turned to see the oldest daughter of Billie Jenkins and she was on a warpath.

"Gracie." Belle pleaded with her sister. The last thing they needed was a fight at the memorial.

"No." Chris cut Belle off and stood to face her sister. Grace was the one who had her mother's fight in her. "I deserve it." Chris was ready and willing to take whatever Grace Jenkin's dished out at him. The next thing Chris heard was the impact of her hand across his cheek. At that point everyone had their eyes on them to see what all the commotion was about.

"How dare you come sailing in here like you have the right?" Grace tried to keep her temper in check.

"My family died I have every right to be here." Chris tried to reason with the irrational woman.

"You mean the family you abandoned to go play Hero. You weren't here to see your mom fall apart every time you walked out that door. You weren't here when my sister found out that she may never walk again. You sure as Hell weren't here when your family needed you." Grace put as much venom as she could into her words. She wanted them to hurt and she wanted Chris to feel guilty.

"Gracie." Wyatt warned. "Please." Wyatt begged and Gracie turned her attention to Wyatt Halliwell.

"Why? Because you want me to? All of this is your fault." Grace said with venom. In her mind if they hadn't been so concerned with the 'precious' Wyatt Halliwell then they would be alive.

"Gracie, enough!" Billie yelled at her daughter. Grace looked around the room at all the eyes on her. For once in her life she didn't care. She gave her mother one more glance before she pushed passed the faceless people to walk out the door.

* * *

Carly Valentine closed her eyes as the headache started setting in. After welcoming her cousin home (and witnessing a verbal showdown) she had made an escape to the basement. Her feet hurt and the migraine wasn't doing her any favors. All she needed was one uninterrupted moment of peace. Was that too much to ask? Carly didn't think so. If anything the Elders owed her a lifetime of uninterrupted peace.

Carly knew she was the lucky one. Her protesting muscles and the pain in her ribs disagreed. It had been two weeks and Carly was still feeling the aftermath. It came to her all at once when she looked down at the three fingers that she couldn't move or when she caught a glimpse of the scars in the mirror. There she sat blocking out the sounds of strangers in her safe place. Everyone thought Carly was so polite and well mannered, but she really wanted to kick everyone out and have the break down she was entitled to.

She ignored that Mel, her sisters, and she would have to miss out on all the things girls need their moms for. She pushed the sound of Emily crying night after night because a part of her died. She ignored the fact that her family was broken and she had no idea how to put it together again. Carly's eyes snapped open when she heard a creak of the basement stairs from behind her. She jumped up and turned to face the intruder.

She braced herself for a demon, but her eyes focused on the man she was standing in front of. He didn't look like a demon, but Carly didn't let her guard down. Once upon a time her mother didn't think Cole was a demon either.

"Can I help you?" Carly snapped while backing away from the man.

"I was looking for the bathroom." The man gave her a charming smile. The kind he expected girls to melt at his feet for. Carly wasn't buying it.

"In the basement?" Carly raised her eyebrows. He really needed to work on his lying skills.

"I guess I got turned around." The man smiled sheepishly. When he knew Carly wasn't buying it he said, "I guess it's too much to handle for some people." Connor nodded towards the memorial.

"Who are you?" Carly didn't have the time or energy to play games. She couldn't afford to.

"I'm Connor." The man stuck out his hand which the woman ignored. "I was a friend of Sam's." Carly's postured relaxed at the mention of her cousin.

"You knew Sam?" Carly's words came out like a question. He was probably her boyfriend. Sam wasn't exactly known for bringing guys home to meet the family. Connor's smile faded when he noticed where her train of thought was going. Connor shook his head.

"No, not like that. We were just friends." The man smiled at her. "You know, you never did tell me your name." Connor winked. He had the nerve to wink at her at the memorial for her family members. Still, she heard her mother's voice in the back of her mind. She was raised to be polite and give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

"I'm Carly." The woman said reluctantly.

"Nice to meet you Carly. Well I guess I'll leave you to…" Connor looked around. "Whatever it is you were doing." Connor winked again and turned to go up the stairs. Carly waited until the coast was clear until she took off the find Mel. If anyone knew who the men in Sam's life were it would be Melinda. She couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

* * *

It was all too much for Melinda Halliwell. The air in the room was beginning to suffocate her. She couldn't breathe with so many people crowding her. She looked around as if her best friend would magically appear. He had to have a damn good reason for missing her mother's funeral. Melinda made a beeline for the staircase when she decided she had finally had enough. She had enough of the looks of pity that people sent her way. She want to feel pitied. She wanted to feel strong…and she knew how to do just that.

She took the stairs two at a time until she reached the door to the attic. She felt a jolt of shock when she saw a body hunched over the potion table. She didn't need to have premonitions to know who it was. His hair was a mess like he hadn't brushed it in days/

"Have you've been here this whole time?" Melinda's words cut through the man's heart like shards of glass. Gage Jenkins turned to face Melinda Halliwell head on. His eyes were blood shot and Melinda knew he hadn't slept in a week.

"I'm sorry." Gage tried to apologize as though it would make everything alright between them. Gage knew that as many times as he apologized that nothing would make up for the fact that he had missed the funeral of Melinda's mother.

"For what?" Mel let out a bitter laugh. "Avoiding me for a week? I know, how about not coming to my mother's funeral?" Melinda sneered at the man. She wasn't just pissed. She was vengeful.

"All I feel is this anger…" Gage tried to feel anything else, even sad, but he couldn't bring himself to.

"And you think I'm not angry? Hell, we're all angry, but you are the only one hell bent on getting killed.." She couldn't believe he was using anger as and excuse for what he was doing and how he was treating all of them.

"It will be worth it if I can take at least one of them with me." Gage said with anger. Vengeance was the only thing keeping him going. It was all he had.

"What about your mother?" Gage grimaced when he thought of his mother. His mother who had just buried a son.

"I can't stay here, Mel. I can't look my own mother in the eye knowing that I couldn't protect him." Gage looked away from Mel's gaze. One look in her eyes was enough to feel guilty.

"So, that's it? You're leaving?" Mel demanded to know.

"I'm doing what I have to, to make things right." All his life the Halliwells and his parents have drilled into his head that had to what they thought was right. Now he was being punished for it.

"If you want to leave fine, but I want be the one to break your mother's heart." Mel said with a sneer as Gage orbed out.

Melinda waited what seemed to be forever after Gage left before she turned her attention to the Book of Shadows. She ignored the constant voice in her head telling her that what she was doing went against every rule she ever made. That didn't mean she wasn't listening to it. She went back and forth with her decision and she had come to terms with it. She was going through with the spell. Mel double checked the potion and spell she had written on a piece of paper.

"Purge my mind of recent sights and sins

Of memories dark and grim

No longer dwell in my heart and head-"

"Mel?" Melinda was cut off by the sound of her cousin's voice. Mel quickly folded the paper hid it behind her back. None of that fooled Carly.

"Mel, what are you doing, honey?" Carly ignore the potion brewing and focused on her cousin. Mel's eyes were frantic, darting around the room. She was seconds away from a mental breakdown.

"It's the only way." Mel managed to say through the tears. Carly tried to comfort her hysterical cousin. Carly looked at her realization.

"You don't want to feel tomorrow." Carly said to herself.

"I just want the memories to be gone." Mel said through clenched teeth. She knew no one would approve at how she chose to grieve.

"Even if that means you don't get to grieve?" Carly questioned. It was an impulsive decision that was something that Mel ever did.

"I can't, I thought I could, but I can't. I shouldn't have to." Mel said through the tears. It was all too much at once. She had lost so many people, like they all had. The only difference was that Mel wasn't made to handle it. She saw the good in people and beauty when there was none.

"No one should have to." Carly said as she took her cousin in her arms. The mysterious man would have to wait. Melinda couldn't even help herself, let alone her.

* * *

After the chaos surrounding Grace and Chris, Elizabeth Valentine made her rounds through the room thanking everyone for coming. She was putting on a brave face for her family and trying to focus on anything, but why everyone was there. She pretended to know faces and names for the sake of getting her mind off how she was feeling. She decided to talk with Chris to focus on her problems and not hers.

"That was one Hell of a scene." Liz smiled as she sat beside her older cousin. "You and Belle always did know how to liven up a party." Liz grinned and managed to get a small smile out of her cousin. Then he had a solemn look on his face.

"Do you all feel that way?"

"Are you kidding?" Liz laughed. Liz's smile disappeared when she noticed her cousin was serious. "Of course we don't. I bet Gracie doesn't feel that way either. You know that when something goes wrong Gracie looks for someone to blame. At first, it was the Elders for taking her dad away. Then it was Wyatt for choosing to heal her over her brother. Now it's you because her brother is dead and her sister might not walk again."

"It doesn't mean she's wrong." Chris told her. Liz remained silent. She knew Chris was the only one who could get himself to stop feeling guilty. They remained silent their gaze traveled to Emily who they had just noticed enter the room.

"How is she?" Chris asked even when he knew how she dealing. She was hanging in there, she had to.

"She's a Halliwell." Liz answered with a smile. After a moment of silence Chris spoke up, "Who's that guy talking to Emily?" Liz looked shocked at the head of dark hair with his back to her. It wasn't until he turned that Liz felt her heart sink to her stomach.

"He's my husband." Liz whispered, but Chris heard her anyway.

"What!?" the man asked, shocked. Surely if his cousin was married it wouldn't be some big secret.


	3. Chapter 3

Dylan Morgan suddenly realized how everything in his life came to a few significant moments. His parents were killed in a single moment. He agreed to work for upper level demons the moment he was at his weakest and they took advantage of that. In one moment he destroyed the only person he cared about since the death of his parents. In this moment he stood watching the destruction he was a part of.

Dylan Morgan stood in the shadows as he watched the Halliwells grieve. Dylan was the reason they had to grieve. He tried to push the nagging thought out of his head. Dylan went to warn the Halliwells at the last minute. Only it was too late to matter. 4 people were dead and it was because of the information he gathered on the Halliwells. Thanks to him his boss knew their strengths and their weaknesses.

When Dylan saw everyone's attention focused on the blonde in the sunroom yelling he knew that was his only chance. With such a scene no one paid him any attention as he snuck up the stairs of the manor. Going to the Halliwell manor might as well have been a death sentence, but he didn't care. Even if he didn't talk to Emily he had to at least see her, to know she was okay.

Of course, she wasn't okay. The demons stole her vision and her sister in one brief moment. That was the same moment he realized he would lose her forever. A moment he kept replaying over and over in his head. Maybe if he had come to her sooner, maybe he could've warned them, even saved them. Still, he couldn't waste time thinking of what ifs.

The Halliwells may have thought the attack at Charmed meant the demons got what they wanted. They were wrong. The demons were going to wipe put the Halliwell line and they were stronger than ever. It was up to him to see that that didn't happen. Dylan couldn't waste time asking for forgiveness for what happened at Charmed. It wouldn't be fair to any of the Halliwells. All he could do was try to prevent something like that from happening again.

Dylan found her in an old bedroom, what looked to be Mel's old room, which Dylan knew used to be Paige's old room. He felt a stab of pain at the realization that he caused the loss of her sister. A pain he knew wouldn't lessen anytime soon.

Dylan walked over to see through the cracked door. Emily Mitchell was laying on the bed with her back to the door. It almost looked like she as asleep. Except Dylan could see the shaking of her shoulders as she sobbed. He try to be careful as he pushed the door, but the door creaked at the last moment.

"Hello?" Emily turned to face the door. Her eyes darted around the room to look for someone. She couldn't see, but that didn't stop her. Dylan's breath caught in his throat. She looked beautiful, as she always did. Except this time he couldn't take his eyes off her tear stained face and the pain in her eyes.

"Who's there?" Emily looked worried at not being able to tell if she was in danger or not. He did that to her and he would have to live with it. Dylan didn't know what he was doing there. He would only make things more painful.

"Emily?" Dylan heard a voice ask. Dylan took one more look at Emily's frightened eyes and took off to disappear into the shadows. He couldn't ask Emily for her forgiveness. He wasn't sure he deserved it.

* * *

Liz grabbed her cousin's arm to pull him away from the rest of her crowd. It wasn't a conversation she needed to world to know. Liz wasn't even sure how to start the conversation. The history between her and Matt was complicated. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to share all of it yet.

"Are you going to stand there or are you going to tell me the truth?" Chris whispered. Matt was still talking with people from magic school, it was only a matter of time until he spotted them. Liz bit her lip as braced herself.

"You remember 2 years ago when I had that job at Magic School." Chris nodded for her to continue. "That's where I met Matt. He was a teacher and Emily introduced us. We started seeing each other, keeping it quiet until we knew what the Hell we had. One drink too many, the next thing I know we are waking up with matching wedding rings. I wanted a divorce, he wanted to try. We stayed married for about a month. We were happy."

That was as much as Liz would allow herself to tell Chris. He didn't need to know about the months Matt tried contacting her the she still had her wedding ring.

"What happened?" Chris wondered.

"What always happens, I ran and I haven't seen him since." Liz told him. Everyone knew she ran away from anyone she got close to.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Chris questioned.

"Because what's the point? Getting everyone worked up for something that's never going to work out." Liz Valentine didn't want to get her hopes up when she got married. Her family would make a big deal out of it. Only for everyone, including Liz, to be let down when things didn't work out.

"You can't live your life that way." Chris tried to reason with his younger cousin. In a lot of ways Liz had always looked up to him.

"What do I do?" Liz didn't know what else to say. Everything just became so screwed up over the last 2 years.

"You talk to him." Chris said as he spotted Matt walking towards them. Talking was the only way to possibly get the closure his cousin needed. Chris left his cousin and went to find a much needed drink. Liz took one last deep breath before Matt came to stand in front of her.

"Hey." Matt was at a loss for words. He definitely didn't want a reunion to include the death of her mom and other family.

"Hey." Liz said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ears. Matt noticed it was whatever she did when she was about to have a conversation she didn't want to.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Matt told her sympathetically. The few times he had met Phoebe Halliwell she was always kind and from the stories Emily had told him Piper Halliwell was a force to be reckon with.

"Me too." Liz whispered with a hint of a smile on her lips.

"You look great." And it was true. She was two years older, but she still reminded him of the woman he fell in love with.

"Thanks, so do you." Liz said.

"I'm—"Matt started at the same time that Liza said, "Look—"

"You go first." Liz I gave the man a small smile.

"Liz, I I am here because no matter what happened between us we were always friends." Matt sighed. No matter what their history was, being friends was the one thing he could count on.

"I could really use a friend right now." Liz offered the man a shaky smile without looking into his warm eyes. One look in his eyes and she would completely fall apart.

* * *

Zack Bradford never had a plan. He went into fights impulsively even borderline reckless. He certainly didn't have a plan as he charged into the club and threw Taylor Valentine over his shoulder. He didn't worry about her using her powers on him because of her intoxicated state. She was lucky he had just got back to town and that he still had friends from the old neighborhood who called him as soon as they spotted Taylor.

He didn't want to think about the trouble Taylor could've gotten into if he hadn't showed up. He wondered why Taylor wasn't at the manor with the rest of her family. Wyatt had told him today was the memorial. Zach wanted to go, but he didn't feel right intruding on the Halliwells.

Zack heard the young woman groan as he finished making a pot of coffee. He saw the panicked look in her eyes as they darted around the room. She relaxed when she recognized she was at his apartment. The Halliwells had spent many nights hanging out and watching movies at Zack's place.

"What happened?" Taylor moaned as she reached up to grab her head because of her hangover.

"Somebody called and said that you were in bad shape." Zack said as he reached over to hand the woman a cup of coffee.

"So, you decided to play hero?" Taylor asked sarcastically. It was an inside joke with Halliwells that Zack's hero complex went as far as to rival Wyatt's.

"That's doesn't sound like a thank you." Zack narrowed his eyes. "Why aren't you at the manor?" Zack questioned the young woman. Even though he already knew, Taylor Valentine didn't grieve, she never showed any emotion that showed an ounce of what she was truly feeling.

"I couldn't handle being around people." Taylor said nonchalantly, like mourning her family was no big deal.

"Looks like you have to settle for a demon instead." Zack tried to joke.

"Funny." Taylor said as she took a drink of her coffee.

"The ladies think so." Zack winked.

"They actually talk to you?" Taylor grinned. Everything with Zack was effortless and easy.

"Ha, Ha. Are you going to tell me why you were getting drunk at 3 in the afternoon?" Zack looked at her seriously. Being a witch in emotional turmoil was a disaster waiting to happen.

"I figured getting drunk before noon would be trashy." Taylor tried to poorly joke. She wasn't in the mood for looks of pity or wearing heels or that dress for hours.

"I'm serious. You're lucky I was there to bail you out." Zack said trying to get through to the witch. She was as stubborn as her mother.

"You always are." Taylor said wistfully.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Zack narrowed his eyes again. All he wanted when he woke up this morning was to have a non-dramatic, stress free day.

"Did you ever think that maybe I don't always want your help?" Taylor narrowed her eyes right back at the man. He had no idea what she was feeling, and he sure as Hell couldn't tell her how to grieve.

"Fine, next time remind me not to." Zack raised his voice, trying to keep his anger in check. When the anger faded from Taylor's face it faded into something else, sadness. "Listen, I didn't bring you here to fight with you." Zack softened his voice.

"I'm sorry. It's just, it's been a rough week." Taylor tried to smile at Zack. Zack always had this way of making her want to spill her guts.

"I'm sorry I'm not making it any easier." Zack apologized. "Forgive me?" He gave her that boyish grin he gave her when she was mad at him when they were kids.

"Always." Taylor agreed. They never stayed mad at each other for more than a couple of days.

"Pinky promise?" Zack held out his pinky as Taylor held out hers. Together they linked them and couldn't help, but to smile.

Zack was a huge part of the Halliwells, whether he wanted to admit it or not. Just as much as Gracie and Belle were. As much as Taylor wanted to get lost in her grief she knew Zack was also grieving two people who had practically raised him, one of his best friends, and a girl he thought of as a little sister. They were both grieving and neither one of them knew how.


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure about this?" the young man asked the woman in front of him. The woman didn't even look up from the potion she was mixing. Everything needed to be perfect, she couldn't take any chances.

"Do you really want to leave out future in their hands." The woman asked like he was crazy for even suggesting it.

"So, you're the alternative?" That man asked bitterly. The woman lifted her eyes to meet his when she heard the sharpness in his tone.

"You heard my Aunt, the funerals were the turning point for all of them. It wasn't until I showed up from the future that the whole chain of events started." The woman tried to make him understand. Her family needed her to back in the past to make them all understand what they all had to do.

"What if you change the past?" The man scrambled for any reason he could to stop her from going. Except it was too late. The woman had mind up her mind and there was no changing that.

"What's the worst that can happen?" the woman asked. To her, not going back wasn't an option.

"I don't know, we can both cease to exist." The man said sarcastically.

"According to Emily, we are already on our way to ceasing to exist unless I do this." The young woman try to explain.

"There has to be another way." The man said adamantly. The Halliwells future couldn't just depend on her going back to the past.

"There isn't." the woman told him.

"Maybe if we just give your family a little more time. Maybe someone else can do it."

"It has to be me." The woman refused to think of any other option that involved putting anyone in her family at risk instead of her.

"Why?" the man wondered.

"Because I made a promise to my family that when the time came I would do what needed to be done." The woman took the piece of paper with the spell and closed the Book of Shadows. She went over to the attic wall with her piece of chalk.

"You act like it's so easy. Traveling back in time is complicated, it can have permanent effects." The man saw the woman's hand fumbled, but she didn't stop drawing.

"I am going to be fine." The woman sounded she was trying to convince herself more than him.

"Why? Because you family told you, you were. The future isn't set in stone. Any wrong decision can change our world." The woman finished drawing and turned to face the man.

"Do you trust me?" the woman looked into his eyes.

"Yes, but-"The man was interrupted before he could finish his thought.

"No buts, you can't change my mind, but I would really like to leave knowing you have faith in me to return." The woman needed one thing before she left, knowing that her best friend would be waiting for her.

"Okay, but I need you to make me a promise." The man reluctantly agreed.

"Anything." The woman said without thinking.

"Promise you'll come back to me." He demanded.

"I figured you would be dying to get rid of me." She tried to joke, but the man didn't offer her a smile.

"I'm serious." The man said with a straight face. He didn't find the humor in his given situation.

"I know." The smile faded from her face. Reality was moments away from crashing down on her.

"It's now or never." The man sighed. He finally accepted this is what she had to do. It was her duty as a Halliwell.

"Let's do this." The woman said giving him a small smile.

" _Hear these words, hear the rhyme_

 _Heed the hope within my mind_

 _Send me back to where I'll find_

 _What I wish in place and Time_ "

The woman's eyes lit up at the fact she was actually doing it. It also frightened her at the fact that her families future depended solely on her. She took one more look into the man's eyes as the portal finished glowing.

 _Now or never_

"Take care of them for me." The woman offered him a shaky smile. The only thing she would regret was leaving her family, but she had to.

The woman stood on her tiptoes as she kissed the man's cheek. It was like when they were kids. This kiss held something more in it. It was the fact that she was going to the past and they both needed to feel that closeness one more time in case anything happened. The woman spared one last glance before she turned around for good. She played with the chain around her neck as she took her final steps through the portal. It was the only thing from home that would remind her who she was.


	5. Chapter 5

Gracie tried to be civil, but something about Chris Halliwell made it so damn hard. She bit her tongue as long as she could until she exploded, letting everyone witness a verbal showdown. Chris Halliwell walked around like he was God's gift to the magical community. He was worse than his brother, who was the twice blessed. Gracie didn't know much about God, but abandoning your family didn't seem like something God would approve of.

Gracie found herself trudging through the swampy waters of an abandoned summer camp. After the memorial Gracie realized there was only one person who she felt compelled to go see. The one person who could maybe shed some light on why everything had happened. Gracie kept following the path leading a cabin. Months pf searching and all she had to show for it was a freaking cabin.

"You shouldn't be here." A voice said emerging from the woods. The young woman turned to see a whightlighter in front of her.

"Look who's talking. Shouldn't you be up there?" Gracie nodded her head to up to where the Elders were. It wasn't like whightligher's could take a personal day.

"The Elders that it was best if I took to gather my thoughts…and all that." Sam smiled sadly at the woman. He had a feeling why she was there, but it didn't want to be the one to bring it up.

"I'm sorry about Sam." Gracie smiled sympathetically. With everything going on she didn't even think about the fact that Sam lost his granddaughter.

"I am sorry about your brother." Sam said back. Josh Jenkins was a good kid who was a lot like his father. He helped people even when it cost him so much. He proved that even in death he was a hero.

"I know, but we both know why I'm really here. Where is he?" Gracie looked around the woods for any sign of the man she had come to see. His son had died and here he was avoiding her.

"Who?" Sam asked innocently. She didn't know it, but she was playing with fire. She was poking her nose where it didn't belong.

"Don't play games with me, Sam. You would think he would at least show his face at his own son's funeral." Gracie said bitterly. Decades of suppressed emotions were bubbling beneath the surface.

"What makes you think he didn't?" Sam questioned.

"Why didn't he come to us?" Gracie asked the man. When she saw she wasn't going to get the answers she wanted she said, "I've been waiting for two decades for some answers and I'm not leaving until I get them."

"I know you may not want to believe it, but everything you father did was what he thought was best for all of you at the time." Sam tried to reason with her. She needed to walk away before she didn't like what she found out.

"How was leaving best for us?" Gracie tried to keep her temper in check. Everyone was always making decisions on what they thought was best. No one even thought to ask her what was best for her.

"Because they made him!" Sam was losing his patience. Everything he and JD had worked so hard to keep secret was quickly unraveling. The truth was going to hurt a lot more than what Billie and the kids alright thought about JD.

"Who!?" Gracie yelled as she took a step closer.

"The Elders!" Sam yelled back.

"Why? The Elders sent him to my mom. Why would they do that just to take him back?" Gracie whispered confused. For her entire life she had grown up thinking her father chose to leave. Because he didn't love them enough.

"The Elders did send him to your mom after Christy died, you know that part of the story. What you don't know is that it was never meant to be permanent. JD was supposed to help your mom heal and move on with her life. He was never supposed to fall in love with her. He was never-" Sam struggled to finish what he was saying. Billie and JD were tough subject for him and the Charmed Ones to bring up. They all saw both sides of what their separation was like.

"…supposed to get her pregnant." Gracie finished for him.

"Yes, when your father told the Elders, they didn't like it, but they accepted it. Because your father would've clipped his wings and your mother would've gave up her magic and they couldn't have that. Your parents had much bigger destinies at play. The people your parents saved wouldn't be alive today." Sam smiled wistfully as he remembered the passion and conviction her parents had towards each other.

"So, why did he leave?" Gracie asked. If everything was so good then Gracie couldn't come up with a good enough reason for her father to walk away.

"A few years later and the Angel of Destiny contacted the Elders. It went against the rules, but something was going to happen that wasn't supposed to that would shift the balance to evil. It was the death of your mother. The details weren't clear, but the one thing she knew for sure that if your parents had stayed together then she wouldn't have lived till you 10th birthday." Sam tried to make her see why he had to leave. Until then no one except for him had known the real reason besides JD's sudden disappearance.

"Did my mom know?" Deep down Gracie knew that if her mom knew then they would have found a way to make it work. No matter the cost.

"No, your father thought it was better if he made sure your mother could never forgive him for walking out on her. And I would appreciate it if this conversation stayed between us." Sam silently begged her with a look. Billie's life depended on not knowing the truth. It couldn't risk that she would.

"I just want to see him." Gracie whispered brokenly.

"He's not here." Sam said sadly. Inside he was justifying what he was doing. It was the only way he could look that girl in the eye and lie to her.

"He's really not here?" Gracie asked even though she knew the answer.

"Afraid not, he came back here after Josh's funeral and took off. He didn't say where he was going?" Sam informed the woman. No one would question it because JD wasn't one to stick around and talk about his feelings.

"All of this…searching….was for nothing." Gracie looked around at the place she had spent months trying to find. She had finally found him, but he was long gone.

"Not for nothing. I gave you the answers you needed. You father didn't leave because he didn't love you. He left because he loved you so much." Sam tried to convince her one last time how leaving was something JD had to do.

"What I am I supposed to do now?" Gracie asked the man. She had spent so much time and energy into searching for her father that she didn't have a plan B.

"You go home to you mother, and to your siblings. I think looking for your father gave you something else to focus on besides your grief. When Patty died I got lost in my grief and I almost died because of it. I almost let her daughters die because of it." Sam struggled to remember a time when he didn't care fi he lived or died. A time where he didn't let himself grieve.

"But you found a way to get out of bed in the morning. To me, that makes you one of the strongest people I know. I'm still trying to figure out how to put one foot in front of the other." Gracie tried to keep her tears in check. She didn't have time to breakdown, she couldn't afford to.

"That's all you can do. Grieving is a process. You don't magically wake up one day and not feel the loss anymore. It takes weeks that turn into months, and months that turn into years. Eventually you do wake up and you realize that it still hurts, like a scar with bad memories, but you live life the only way you know how." Sam tried to tell the woman.

Grief was a part of the Halliwells and him, but the children he had watched grow up, death had never touched them. Maybe they had protected the children too much.

"Is that what happened with you?" Gracie asked.

"I took a few detours along the way, but yeah, it happened." Sam smiled when he thought about how lost he got before he found peace.

"I should get going. If you do see him could you give him these? I think he would want them." Gracie reached for something in her pocket and put them in Sam's waiting hand. He smiled when he saw it was Josh's dogtags.

"You remind me of someone." Sam told her.

"Who?" Gracie raised an eyebrow.

"A much younger version of your mother." Gracie was so much like her mother it was scary.

"I'll see you soon, Sam." Gracie said before giving him one last smile.

"Looking forward to it." Sam smiled back. Gracie went to walk away, but turned and faced him.

"I know you may think they need space, but take it from me. Paige could really use her father right about now." Gracie said and she was right. JD couldn't be around Billie and the kids, but that didn't mean he couldn't be there for his.

"Bye Grace." Sam gave her one last smile as she exited the woods. He waited until he could sense she left before he spoke.

"I really didn't like lying to her." Sam turned around the face the young man hiding in the shadows.

"You said it yourself, the only way to protect them is to leave them alone." JD said like it was obvious. Sam was the one who told him it was better for everyone if he just disappeared from their life.

"Maybe there is another way." Sam try to convince him. It was two decades later, there had to be another way.

"I can't risk it." JD told the man.

"When all of this settles that girl is going to come looking for you again. You and I both know that girl is too much like her mother too let anything go." Sam told him. Gracie was Billie through and through. There was no denying it.

"Until then all I can do is watch over them when I can." JD said.

"I just hope that is enough." Sam told him.

"It has to be." With those last words JD went to his cabin in seclusion. As far away from the Halliwells and Billie as he could get.

Junior knew logically it wasn't the place he needed to be. He needed to be at home with his family, but he couldn't face their grief when he was very clear he erased his. The only way he could not focus on the people he couldn't save was to focus on the ones he could. Lydia Taylor was his only charge at the moment. All the Elders told him about her situation was that she needed his protection.

Lydia Taylor was a 21 year student who spent the majority of her time in her one bedroom apartment. The only place she went was the AA meetings Junior found himself frequenting on occasion. After a few meetings Junior and Lydia were what he called "friends." Junior noticed her red hair first as he set foot in the meeting. Her back was to him as she stood talking with someone.

It wasn't like he could go up to her and tell her about his family without breaking his cover. That still didn't stop him from walking up to her. She was Lydia, she was his to protect, and she was safe. That was all Junior could focus on.

"Come here often?" Junior wasn't sure what made him say it, but he seemed easy. Everything with Lydia was easy and effortless. That's what he enjoyed about her being his charge. Watching over her gave him a purpose. Even with the Elders, he only trusted himself to look after her.

"Wow, you did not just say that." Junior could practically see Lydia rolling her eyes even with her back to him. She turned and looked at her with her big green eyes. Eyes that were so trusting and compassionate.

"It works on most girls." Junior gave her a heart stopping grin. He was telling the truth, it did work on most of the girl he dated. Which didn't say much about the girls he dated.

"You should know by now I'm not like most girls." Lydia winked. That was also true. Every day he learned something new and interesting about Lydia.

"No, you are definitely not." Junior told her.

"Well, in your defense, I'm pretty sure all the girls you date are brainless bimbos." Lydia let out a laugh that he had grown used to hearing over the past couple months.

"Right," Junior tried to focus on the sound of her voice and not his life going to Hell.

"What's wrong?" Lydia asked in all seriousness. She had knew him well enough to know when something was up. And something was definitely up. Beneath the jokes and the lame pickup lines Lydia recognized that he wasn't himself.

"Ugh, a friend of mine, he died." Junior said without thinking. It was half-true, his best friend and partner had died.

"Henry, I'm so sorry." Lydia said sympathetically. Junior always thought her compassion would be her downfall. She was so compassionate that it killed him every time he had to come up with another lie for his cover. He had this perfected lie to could all come crashing down with at any time.

"The funeral was today, Anyway, I really wanted a drink, so I came here instead." Junior tried to find any reason to explain why he was there rather than a funeral.

"I'm glad you did." Lydia gave him a small smile. "After the meeting do you maybe want to come back to my place and talk about it?" Lydia offered him.

"I would like that." Junior returned the smile. Even though he couldn't completely tell her the truth there was still a part of him that looked for any reason to talk to Lydia. He was doing his job, that's what he kept telling himself. He was becoming a part of her life like any good whightlighter would do. She trusted him and to him that meant everything.

1 spell, 1 potion, that's what Gage kept telling himself. Together and they would help unlock the key to getting back everything they had lost. Everyone was too caught up in their grief to think straight. They were wasting time crying about their losses when they could do something to change it. After the scene with Mel in the attic he realized that he had to be the one to sacrifice everything to bring them back.

His only regret was that he would break his mom's heart in the process. His sisters would understand, but to his Mom and Mel it was like he was turning his back on them. As he kept replaying the last conversation with his brother in his head he realized his brother was right all along. He was selfish and he didn't care about who he hurt as long as he got his way. This was a way he could make it up to him.

Gage let out a breath as he finished the final ingredients of the potion. He braced himself as he stood in front of the triquetra that was drawn on the wall. He looked down at the piece of paper he was holding and recited the words.

 _Hear these words, hear the rhyme  
Heed the hope within my mind  
Send me back to where I'll find  
What I wish in place and time_

Gage took a step back as he was blinded by the glow coming from the triquetra. When it calmed down he took one nervous step closer as he got ready to change destiny. The Elders would probably kill him for attempting to mess with the balance, but he had to at least try.

"Gage." That voice was the last thing he heard before he felt himself being pulled backwards inside the portal. He only hoped it wasn't too late to change destiny.


	6. Chapter 6

All Emily could see was darkness. Of course, since the accident darkness was normal for her. She moved her head around even though she knew she wouldn't be able to see anything. It was an involuntarily reflex to assess her surroundings. It was her new reality…and it sucked. It was until objects started to materialize in front of her and her surroundings began to take shape, that she realized it wasn't her reality at all.

Even though the jagged rocks looked the same no matter where you went in the underworld Emily was just glad to see them. It was something familiar that she could grasp onto. Emily wanted to take it all in and hold that moment still as long as she could. She didn't know how long she would be able to see everything with such vividness that she had once took for granted.

Emily's ears perked up when she heard soft footsteps from behind her that most people wouldn't notice. She learned since the accident that without one sense the others try to compensate. Except this time, she could see who the footsteps belonged to. Emily turned around so fast she thought she would get whiplash. Even if it was just a dream the fact that she could see anyone wasn't something she wanted to take for granted.

The breath Emily was holding felt heavy in throat as a person stepped out from the shadows. In a way the man had the rugged handsome face she imagined her sister would be the one to be attracted to. But she was wrong, it was her whose attraction to the man caused a ripple effect within her family. It was her feelings that got in the way of her intuition. Emily didn't think she could ever forgive herself for that.

Emily took a step back without meaning too. They were just staring at each other waiting for the other to say something. Emily almost wish she couldn't see his lying face.

"What the Hell I am doing here?" Emily was seething with anger, and she had a lot of it. She was angry at him. She was angry at the Elders. She was angry at the world.

"I had to see you." The man's deep voice echoed throughout the walls of the empty caves. He could barely something, but his voice stopped and made people listen anyway, He had the quiet intensity you could see in his eyes and hear it in his voice.

"It must be nice having that luxury, to see someone anytime you want." Emily sneered. He had no idea what being able to see, even if only momentarily, would do to her when she woke up. "You wanted to see me, here I am." Emily made a sweeping gesture with her hands.

"I'm sorry— "Dylan knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as he said it. You don't just say "sorry" when you had a hand to play in her family's deaths.

"You're sorry? What are you sorry about? For lying to me? For getting my sister killed? I know, how about making me believe you loved me." Emily started yelling and once she started she couldn't stop. "Sorry" wasn't this magical word that would make everything better. In fact, the more he said it, the angrier she got.

"I do love you." There was the same intensity in his voice that she saw when she caught a glimpse of his smoldering stare. His eyes seemed to pierce through her soul even when she didn't want them to. "Tell me one thing, why did you do it?" Emily questioned, losing her anger in the process. If he was never honest with her again then she just wanted to know the answer to that one question. Then maybe she could start to heal and move on.

"I didn't have a choice!" Dylan threw his hands up in the air. Emily thought, it was the only time she ever saw Dylan lose his patience with her. She always thought of him as the calmest person she ever met.

"There's always a choice." Emily snapped. Just like that the anger was back. No one held a gun to his head and told him to lie to her. He did that all on his own.

"I did meet you because I was supposed to get information on your family, there is no denying that. But something changed, I got to know you, and I—" Dylan struggled to find the words. It was a tale as old as time. It was the story that was always gossiped about in the Underworld. A story about how a demon fell in love with a Halliwell. "Do you know where I was the night of the explosion? I tried to stop them. I risked me life and my freedom. Everything I have done has always been for you."

"Well, you didn't try hard enough." Emily said as she focused her attention as the cold concrete floor of the Underworld. "I want you gone, after what you've done it's not right or fair for you to go poking around through my head." The woman tried to make one more plea with the part of him that claimed he loved her, if it even existed.

"Em—" The man tried to say one last time. He didn't need her forgiveness he just needed her to understand.

"Now!" Emily put her hands to her ears and screamed before she was sucked backwards into blackness. Emily shot up straight in her bed. Her heart was pounding and her hair was matted to her forehead with sweat. The only thing that proved to Emily she was awake was the pitch black she saw. She didn't know what was worse, losing her vision all over again or facing the one man ultimately responsible for why she lost her vision in the first place.

* * *

Pain. That was all Mel could focus on as her muscles screamed in protest. She didn't know what had happened. One minute she was going to look at the Book of Shadows, the next thing she knew she was blinded by a white light as her body was hurled into the unknown. Mel groaned as the feeling eventually came back to her arms and legs, then her eyes. It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brightness around her.

She was in the living room at the manor, she knew that much. Everything looked the same as she had left it earlier, except there were toys were a rocking chair used to be, the couch look a little more faded, and the pictures hung around the manor were of people she didn't recognize. Mel flinched when she heard a groan coming from the sunroom.

Out of nowhere a sudden a fresh wave of anger hit her. She remembered it clearly. She walked in on Gage doing some kind a spell. There was no telling what he had done. Mel only knew that it was his fault.

"What the Hell did you do?" Gage didn't have time to register what had happened before he heard his best friend yelling at him. Gage braced himself as he used a table to help him stand.

"I can explain." That was the only thing he thought to say as he tried to find the excuse that would do the least amount of damage.

"I'm listening." Mel put her hands in her hips in a typical Halliwell fashion. Gage was cut off from whatever he was about to say when they heard the door of the manor opening. Gage pulled Mel's arm towards him and he pulled them behind a wall. Gage knew Mel was about to say something so he put a hand over and mouth and nodded his head. There was no telling what they were walking into. The next thing the pair knew they heard multiple sets of footsteps and a lot of excited little voices.

"Okay, first things first, go start on your homework. I'll be up in a minute to help." Gage and Mel heard an adult's voice say, followed by footsteps running up the stairs. It seemed like an eternity as Mel waited for the person to walk away. Mel held her breath as she tried to focus on the steady rhythm of her own heartbeat. Mel only heard silence for a few more seconds.

"I was wondering when you would show up." Mel and Gage both jumped as a voice materialized out of nowhere. Mel used her hair to shield her eyes as she lifted them to meet whoever was talking to them. It wasn't a stranger like she expected….it was her. She was at least 5 years older and her hair was darker and shorter, but there was mistaken it was Melinda Halliwell.

"You knew we were coming?" Melina asked, confused.

"Yes, and don't worry you are supposed to be here." Future Mel said with a smile to try to calm the pair down. She knew how nervous they were because she was them.

"Where exactly is here?" Gage looked around, trying to find some clue in the aging manor.

"In the future, of course." Older Mel said with a wink.

 _Oh, boy._ Mel thought. _She was going to kill her best friend._

* * *

Pain. Of course being a Halliwell, she had her fair share of demon related injuries, but that didn't mean diving head first into a portal to the past didn't hurt any less. Josie rubbed her eyes and she tried to lift her head up. Her head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. She slowly took in all of her surroundings. The attic looked the same as she had seen it minutes before.

What was she supposed to now? Her aunt wasn't exactly clear as to why she was going to the past. She pretty much only gave her a date and a spell. The rest was up to her. She looked around the attic for any sign of what to do. Maybe she should try the Book of Shadows. She traced over the cover and flipped through the pages as if she would find some sign to help her. The next thing she knew she felt her body flying through the air.

"Who the Hell are you?" a harsh voice asked as she tried to pick herself up off the floor. She looked up to see a familiar man standing over her. Before she was fully aware of what she was doing she said, "Nice to see you too, Dad."

Within five minutes the majority of the Halliwells made their way to the attic as soon as they got Chris's 911 call. Josie sat on the faded couch as each person looked at her with a mixture of skepticism and confusion. She was trying to avoid eye contact as she watched her dad pacing back and forth, mumbling to himself. She still couldn't believe she let herself slip. Her aunt gave her one rule and she broke it.

"Who are you?" Josie almost had to stifle a snort. Five minutes, and that's the best he could come up with. It was almost embarrassing.

"I thought you figured that out by now?" She said with a cheeky smirk. One that she would inherit from her father, even if he didn't realize it yet.

"You'll have to excuse me if I'm a little skeptical of a stranger showing up, claiming that I am her father." Chris ran a hand through his hair. Not only was the visit random, he wasn't even sure what to think of his future spawn. Sure, he wanted kids someday, but know he had one here and in the flesh.

"Is it really out of the realm of possibility?" Josie asked. From what her family had told her they definitely experience weirder things than a relative showing up from the future. Even her father had gone to the past.

"Come on Chris, we should give her the benefit of the doubt?" Junior tried to break the tension like he always did.

"And where did that exactly get us in the past." Taylor narrowed her eyes. When Wyatt saw Junior get ready to argue with her, he spoke up, "Ok, first things we need to find some sort of magical way of knowing if she really is a Halliwell."

"Then what?" Liz questioned. Everyone was already on pins and needles. The last thing they needed was be thrown right back into the magical community. They may not admit, but they were each taking a hiatus from magic.

"I think I can help with that-"A voice said from the shadows, startling all of them. The really needed some kind of magical alert system. Emily recognized the voice instantly, "Kyle? What are you doing here?"

Before he could respond to the witch Chris launched himself at the man landed a punch square to the whightlighter's jaw. Everyone held their breath as they stood in shock over Chris's unexplained anger. It wasn't like they hated each other. On more than one occasion some would even call them friends. That's why no one stepped up to say anything as Kyle stood up, rubbing his jaw in the process.

"You promised me you would protect them...protect her." Chris said through clenched teeth, he took another breath before he let the anger get the better of him again. Kyle had always been the guy he trusted with his family. He was the one who help Chris when he came into his powers. He was the one who saved his teenage ass over and over again.

When he left for the army Kyle promised him he would look after his family, but he also made him promise something else. Kyle promised he would look after his baby cousin, who was reckless and impulsive. He knew Kyle didn't agree just because she was another Halliwell, he agreed because he loved her. If any of the deaths at Charmed could have been avoided, it had been Sam's. Logically, Chris knew he couldn't heal her if she died on impact, but he didn't care about the technicalities. His family was dead and he needed someone to blame.

 **Starring**

Wes Ramsey as Wyatt Halliwell

Drew Fuller as Chris Halliwell

Kristin Kruek as Melinda Halliwell

Rebecca Herbst as Elizabeth Valentine

Shenae Grimes as Taylor Valentine

Lexi Ainsworth as Carly Valentine

Ryan Kelley as Junior Mitchell

Aimee Teegarden as Emily Mitchell

Aimee Teegarden as Sam Mitchell

 **Also starring**

Laura Vandervoort as Gracie Jenkins

Johanna Braddy as Belle Jenkins

Steven Lund as Gage Jenkins

Andrew Walker as Zack Bradford

Kerr Smith as Kyle Brody

 **Guest starring**

Holland Roden as Lydia Taylor

Nathaniel Buzholic as Connor

DJ Cotrona as Dylan

Matt Cohen as Matthew


	7. Nobody's hero

It was quiet. A little too quiet for Josie's taste. It had been 3 minutes of silence while everyone tried to wrap their heads around what has just happened. Josie knew exactly how long it was because to not think about uncomfortable she was, she counted every agonizing second of those three minutes. Kyle was still rubbing his jaw where her dad had hit him. If the atmosphere wasn't so tense already Josie would have told him, it was a nice hit. Every person in the room spent those three minutes looking around the room, waiting for someone to break the silence.

"Here's some ice," Taylor reappeared into the attic with an ice pack in her hand. Chris rolled his eyes as he put the ice pack on his eye. Taylor ignored the tension in the air and finally asked what they all had been thinking, "What are you doing here?"

"I take it no one had heard from Mel or Gage, by any chance?" Kyle tried to hint as he pretended to look around for the missing two. Chris narrowed his eyes at the Wight lighter. Kyle wasn't known for his subtlety. He usually went straight to the point. It was one of the things Chris used to like about him.

"I tried calling and her phone went straight to voicemail. I assumed she didn't want to be bothered." Liz spoke up. "I tried getting a hold of Gage too, but he didn't answer either. I thought they would be together." Liz tried to say, helpfully. She knew freaking out is the last thing everyone needed to do.

"Well, technically, they are together." Kyle said sarcastically.

"What does that mean?" Emily asked. For the first time since he had got there he had noticed the younger twin. Looking up at her face was like splashing cold water on his face. Up until that moment he had avoided looking her way because it would just be a reminder of how he failed her sister, and the rest of the Halliwells. Of course, Sam and Emily were identical twins, but up until that moment he never really noticed how alike they looked. Sam was always Sam and Emily was just Emily. One look at the and he could tell which was which.

"It means, that when blondie over here cast her time travel for the past, so did Gage." Chris said while he pretended to glare at the newcomer in the room. Deep known he knew he had no room to judge someone for time travelling.

"He did what?" A new voice came from the doorway. Chris clenched his jaw as he saw the oldest Jenkin's daughter. She was the last person he wanted to see. He hadn't seen her since she slapped him and he wasn't exactly counting down the moments to be in her presence again. Chris ignored the woman-which was hard in itself- and nodded for Kyle to continue.

"The elders don't know the specifics. All they know is that somehow the spells counteracted each other." Kyle looked over when he noticed Wyatt was about to ask something. "And Mel was in the wrong place at the wrong time." He said sadly.

"Spit it out, Brody. Where is my brother?" Gracie fumed and Chris rolled his eyes. If that day had proved anything it was that Gracie had a flair for being dramatic.

"Where isn't the problem? It's when." Kyle finally told them. Everyone looked around the room as they tried to wrap their heads around what the man meant. None of them had time traveled without someone at least knowing what time period they were going to.

"How do you know they aren't dead somewhere?" Carly questioned. After everything they had been through, Carly was a little short on faith at the moment. It was just something else to add to their ever-growing list of how their family is destined to die.

"If they were dead then the Elders would know. For now, we need to find a way to reverse the spell to send Josie back, and maybe Mel and Gage will come back too." Kyle was at a loss for what else to tell them. The truth was that he was just playing the situation by ear. He didn't know what he was doing there or why he specifically asked the Elders if he could be the ones to tell them. He was supposed to deliver the news and leave them to figure out the rest, but he couldn't bring himself to walk away.

"That's a lot of ifs." Taylor asked unsure.

"It's all we got." Wyatt got straight to the point. Everyone was looking at him to make the hard decisions. So, for now, he had to.

"Okay, let's get to work." Liz said as they separated and tried to find a way to bring Mel and Gage home.

* * *

Kyle and Emily sat awkwardly on the faded couch in the living room of the manor. Emily was blind, so that severely limited how much of a help she was. Even with the

Thinking back Kyle thought how rude he had been. He had gotten into a fight with her sister at Charmed when he ran into Emily on his way out the door. She teased him about being in a hurry and he snapped at her and she didn't deserve it. She was compassionate and sweet and the last person who deserved to be on the receiving end on whatever went on with him and her sister.

"if one of us doesn't start talking soon, then this is going to get awkward." Emily finally broke the silence. She hated the tension between them. It was weird because things were never awkward between them. Since he started training Wyatt, and helping her brother with his powers, he had kind of been like another brother. Not that her sister thought of him that way.

"Going to?" Kyle couldn't help, but to snort. They were past awkward. He had spent weeks avoiding the Halliwells, avoiding her, because of his guilty conscious. "How's your mom?" Kyle brought himself to ask the question he had been avoiding. As soon as he thought of Paige he felt even more guilty.

"How do you think?" Emily snapped. After a heartbeat of silence, she said, "I saw you the night of the explosion at Charmed." Emily's moved her head so she was looking at her hand. Even if she couldn't see Kyle knew he was a nervous reflex she had when she was upset.

"I know, I ran into you." Kyle was confused why she was bringing that up. If wasn't some big secret that he was at Charmed that day.

"No, I mean I saw you before that…with Sam." Emily tried to ease the man into a conversation she needed to ask him about. Something her brain couldn't stop thinking about.

"Yea, I had to talk to her about a demon needed help finding." Kyle shrugged, He obviously had no idea where she was going with the route of conversation. He sat there looking like his last conversation with her sister was apparently no big deal. They just made Emily angrier. She had to take a couple deep breaths before she could continue.

"Is that what you call sticking your tongue down her throat?" Emily said as she clenched her jaw. Kissing her sister was one thing, but it was what he said after that she couldn't believe.

"It was…." Kyle struggled to find the right words to describe the situation between him and Sam. What he knew for sure was that he should have never crossed that line. "A mistake? Isn't that what you called her?" Emily said for him.

Emily tuned her head to follow the sound of his voice. Even being blind it felt as though her eyes could see into his. Every lie he told to the Elders about not getting too involved. The look on Sam's face when he said the kiss was a mistake. Finding Sam's cold body buried underneath the rubble of Charmed. The was the last image he would ever have of her. With burn marks on her face and ash in her hair.

"There's a lot about the night that I wish I could take back." Kyle tried to make her understand with his voice. It killed him that she couldn't see how desperate he was for her forgiveness. "For the record, I…cared a lot about you sister."

"But she's gone and you being here isn't going to earn you redemption in anyone's eyes." Emily took another deep breath and said, "You should leave." Emily looked away as she heard him get up to leave.

"Em?" Kyle said.

"What?" the woman said without looking to where his voice was coming from.

"Happy birthday." Kyle gave her one more small smile even though she couldn't see it. With one more cold glare she looked away from the man until she heard the familiar sound of orbs. Kyle Brody was nobody's hero.

* * *

"You've been waiting for us?" Mel asked, confused. "How did you know we would be here?" All the trying to figure out the timeline she was in was giving her a serious headache.

"Because I have the same memory of 7 years ago, when this idiot over here decided to go messing around with the past." Mel smiled and pointed to Gage, who had remained silent and stoic.

"So, if he cast a spell to travel to the past then why are we in the…?" Mel trailed off. The other Mel didn't look like any version of her past self. "Future." The other Mel answered for her.

"Future." Mel repeated. She felt the words on her tongue, but it wasn't processing in her brain. "Are we allowed to be here?"

"It's too late now." Future Mel winked at the pair.

"How did we end up here?" Mel asked her future self.

"That was actually my niece's fault? She seemed to cast a time travel spell that interfered with Gage's" Future Mel tried to explain simply. She knew too much information would just lead to even more confusion.

"So, where is she exactly?" If her and Gage were in the future, she didn't even want to guess where he niece ended up.

"She is in your time." Future Mel said

"Weird." Gage finally said. Mel gave them a small smile before it turned into a worried one. "We don't have much time." Mel didn't get a chance to ask what she meant before she saw a demon shimmer in across the room. She looked to future her for what to do. "Right on time." Future Mel whispered to herself. "Listen to me," future Mel turned her so they were facing each other. "The way home comes from your heart."

"We can't just leave you here." Mel struggled to say as the three dodged an oncoming fireball.

"I will be fine. I am a Halliwell after all." Mel said with a wink. "Oh, and one more thing, this is going to hurt." That was last thing Mel heard as the future Mel placed her hands on both sides of her head. She felt a pair of arms catch her before she felt herself falling.

* * *

"You're doing it wrong," Gracie argued for the third time since her and Chris started on the time travel potion. When they were, teenagers arguing proved to be a major part of their relationship.

"No, I'm not." Chris argued back. Wyatt and Belle sat at the table writing the spell as they watched the two argue back and forth. They got exhausted just watching the two.

"You're wrong." Gracie crossed her arms.

"You're impossible." Chris shot back at the blonde. Wyatt smiled as he saw Belle dramatically rolling her eyes at Chris and her sister. When they were done arguing Chris looked at them and asked, "You guys come up with the spell?"

"One time travel spell ready to go." Belle rolled her chair over to Chris. She tried not to notice when he avoided looking at her when he noticed the wheelchair. She didn't want to admit it, but it hurt. Like he was ashamed of her. She quietly put on a fake smile as she handed him the spell. She looked at Joseie, who seemed more bored if anything.

"You ready?" Chris asked his daughter. He had so many questions, but at risk of changing the future, he knew those questions would have to wait. At least for 20 or so more years.

"Do I have a choice." Josie asked sarcastically as she jumped down from the counter. She wasn't prepared for the lecture her Aunt would give her when she returned to her own time. A lecture she was sure had been passed down through many Halliwell generations. "Let's do this." Josie finally said. Chris looked at the piece of paper and began reading,

"Hear these words,

hear the rhyme.

I send to you this

burning sign.

To your present self

You'll find,

In the right place and time."

* * *

Darkness. It wasn't the kind her cousin, Emily had grown accustomed too. It was a different kind of darkness. What usually was a frenzy of memories and feelings, was a blank slate. There were voices asking for Mel? Mellie? to wake up. The thing was she didn't know who Mel was. Who was she? Was she Mel? Where was she? Why couldn't she remember?

The woman's eyelids felt heavy as she tried to open her eyes. Was that normal? She had no memory to compare it to. Finally, she was able to open her eyelids. She saw many faces crowded around her, but didn't know any of their names. She didn't know if she was supposed to.

"Where…am…I?" Mel weakly asked as she tried to left herself up. The two men closest to her each grabbed her elbow to help her into a seated position. Even if she didn't know who they were, there was something that told she could trust them. Not that she knew what trust felt like.

"The manor." One of the women said, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Nothing," Mel barely whispered. Everything was quickly becoming a blur of faces sensations she couldn't recognize.

"Mellie?" one the guys took a step closer.

"Is that my name?" She asked the man. Mellie was a strange nickname. She didn't know who any of these people were, but she knew she was about to find out. She didn't know if that was a good thing. What it whoever she was wasn't someone she wanted to be?

 **Next time on Charmed :** Mel faces temporary memory loss after she returns from the future. Other Halliwells realize about what their role in the family is.


	8. Second episode

Thanks for all the reviews/faves/follows. The second episode of Destined is now uploaded.


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